


The Cold Expanse of Space

by paperback92



Category: Avengers infinity war - Fandom, Infinity War Part One, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Iron Dad, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, spider son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 15:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14452299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperback92/pseuds/paperback92
Summary: Tony dreams about the future he could have had. The one that was right there at his fingertips. He wakes up to the cold expanse of space.





	The Cold Expanse of Space

**Author's Note:**

> This has Infinity Wars spoilers in it! If you don't want to be spoiled on a major plot point, please wait to read after you've seen the movie.

Tony watches as Strange crumbles, turning into ash and blowing away right in of his eyes. Tony’s numb. He refuses to accept the truth that’s right in of him. 

They lost. They’re never lost before. 

Tony stares into space Strange used to occupy until Peter speaks up behind him.

“Mr. Stark?”

Tony turns because the kid sounds scared. Peter’s tougher then Tony sometimes gives him credit for, but this a different ball game. He thinks that even he’s been traumatized by this. If he is, there’s no way the kid isn’t.

As soon as he takes one look at Peter, Tony knows that something is wrong. Horribly wrong. Peter’s sickly pale and he’s swaying. He stares at some middle space between the two of them, confused. 

“I don’t feel so good.” 

“You’re alright.” Tony says automatically because he has to be. Peter has to be alright. Nothing else is acceptable.

Peter starts to stagger towards him, panicked. “I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what’s happening.” 

Tony just blinks. He’s frozen. He can’t move. Peter is reaching for him and Tony can’t make his arms move. 

The kid stumbles roughly into Tony and his body finally clues in. He wraps his arms around Peter. He holds him upright while Peter clutches at Tony and sobs, sounding every bit like the kid he is.

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go. Mr. Stark, please. I don’t wanna go.” 

Tony doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t. 

Peter’s legs suddenly give out and Tony sags under the weight. He lowers them both down to ground. 

Peter looks up at him, terrified. Tony puts his hand on Peter’s chest, trying to give him some comfort, to ground him. He doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t know what to say. His mouth won’t work. Peter’s hand weakly bumps into Tony’s arm. 

“I’m sorry.” He says and Tony wants to scream. Wants to tell him not to apologize. Wants tell him that he’ll be ok.

But Peter is already gone.

Tony grasps at Peter but it’s too late. There’s only a pile of ashes. 

Tony looks at his hands. They’re gray. They’re covered in Peter’s ashes. They’re covered in Peter.

Oh, God.

Peter’s dead. He’s dead. His kid is dead.

Tony makes a choking sound and clutches his left hand. He holds it to his chest and starts to rock back and forth, gasping.

His kid is dead.

He told him to stay home. He told him to stay home. Why couldn’t he have listened for once?

In that moment, Tony wishes that he had never met the kid. He may have still died but he would have been at home. He would have with his aunt and his dorky friends, surrounded by people who loved him. Tony is isn’t the kind of person you want to spend you’re last moments with. 

He knows that Peter’s terrified voice will haunt him for the rest of his life.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there cradling his dirty hand, rocking. He has no desire to move. He might as well lay down and die too.

His kid is dead.

He feels the Nebula hover at his shoulder for a few minutes before she finally speaks.

“We need to go.” 

Tony knows she’s right. This isn’t over yet. There’s still half a universe that needs tending to. He needs to get back to Earth. He needs to check on Pepper and Happy. And Steve. 

He chokes again when he releases that, statistically, at least one of them is dead too. 

Tony tries to stand but can’t. He keeps staring at the pile off ash in front of him. He can’t leave Peter here. He needs to bring him home. 

He wishes he had some kind of container. Heck, he’d even settle for a sandwich baggie. Just something to bring Peter home in.

Tony looks up at her. His voice is cracked and wrecked. “Do you have some kind of…I just need something to…I need to take him home.” 

She stares at him for a beat then stalks back to the orange and blue ship. Tony’s heart sinks, thinking she won't help, but she comes back and holds out a box. It’s a vintage Pac-Man lunch box, of all things. There’s a piece of worn tape over it with childish handwriting scrawled on it.

_Property of Peter Quill aka Star Lord_

Tony scoops up Peter’s ashes into the lunch box. Some are blown away and some stick to his hand but he gets the majority. He picks himself up off the ground and they head back to the ship. 

Tony goes to follow Nebula to the cockpit but she stops him. “Get some rest.” 

It’s not a suggestion but Tony is too spent to fight it. He’s sure she meant for him to get into one of the cots but Tony lays down on the floor of the ship instead. The cool metal feels good against his too hot skin. 

He turns on his side and curls up around the lunch box, around Peter, and sleeps.

Tony dreams of Pepper. He dreams of having a baby with her. A son with his dark hair and Pepper’s eyes. He dreams of Peter meeting him, excitingly babbling on about having a little brother. He dreams about the future he could have had. One that had been right there at his fingertips.

Tony wakes up to the cold expanse of space with his dead kid beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so here's the deal. As of this moment, I haven't actually seen the whole movie yet. I just saw that leaked scene and next thing I knew, I had typed out this monstrosity. 
> 
> So obviously, I don't know what happens in the immediate after math in cannon. This is just what came out of my broken brain. I liked it and I didn't want to wait to post it. I will change the tags if needed after I see it tomorrow. 
> 
> Until then, I'll be rocking in the corner, reminding myself that you can't have Spider-Man 2 without Spider-Man.


End file.
